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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. rule — a law
  5. content — the amount
  6. rule — government
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. snap — to click
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. field — for sport
  12. content — happy
  13. field — farmland
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. row — to paddle
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. pitch — completely
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. row — a line
  21. bulb — for light
  22. field — a subject
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pitch — a sports field

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com